US charges suspected Chinese spies for attempting to obstruct telecoms probe case

US has charged two alleged Chinese spies for an attempt to obstruct a federal investigation into Chinese telecom giant, which is believed to be Huawei, as per information on American publications such a NYTimes. These two suspected Chinese intelligence officers were paying thousands of dollars in digital currency, cash and jewellery to a US law enforcement official to recruit him as an asset, however, the law enforcement official was a double agent working for the FBI, as per reports by The Guardian. The prosecution of these two suspected Chinese spies was announced on Monday during a press conference by the FBI and US Justice Department, to showcase unity of US counterintelligence efforts in the face of Chinese covert operations. 

The announcement of this case came along with the  announcement of two more cases against suspected Chinese spies. In one, these Chinese spies were attempting to coerce Chinese dissidents inside the US and in the other, they were trying to recruit US academics to work for China, as per the Guardian report. China, "sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights. The justice department will not tolerate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the rule of law upon which our democracy is based," said Merrick Garland, who serves as America's attorney general. Guochun He and Zheng Wang, the two suspected Chinese spies, believed they had recruited the law enforcement agent and asked him for information about the Justice Department's plans against Huawei. 

What was the goal of Chinese intelligence officers?

The FBI double agent was paid $61,000 in bitcoin to provide them with this classified information, specifically information about the Justice Department's investigation, the evidence they have and information about the witnesses. The FBI double agent provided these Chinese individuals that were specifically prepared by the Justice Department for this counter-intelligence operation. “If the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party, continues to violate our laws, they're going to keep encountering the FBI," said Director Christopher Wray. He added that, "They try to silence anyone who fights back against their theft — companies, politicians, individuals — just as they try to silence anyone who fights back against their other aggressions". “China seeks to be a major power on the world stage and challenge the United States in multiple arenas. Today’s cases make clear that Chinese agents will not hesitate to break the law and to violate international norms in the process,” said deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco. Huawei is a major technological asset for China and America believes it has been weaponized by China.